ESTIGMA: PERCEPÇÕES SOCIAIS REVELADAS POR PESSOAS ACOMETIDAS POR HANSENÍASE STIGMA: SOCIAL PERCEPTIONS REPORTED BY PEOPLE AFFECTED BY

Descriptive and qualitative study on the stigma reported by people affected by Hansen' s disease in a Health Institute in Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. It aimed at understanding the social perceptions related to the stigma revealed by people cured of Hansen's disease or undergoing treatment for it; and comparing the present perceptions to those experienced while at the leper colonies. Interviews with seven clients on follow-up by the Institute were developed in 2006. Five categories stood out of the content analysis of the reports: work and patient relationship; family and cure horizons; interaction with friends; health professionals' incompetence; social changes for social